A decade ago, cheat devices were a veritable phenomenon. These peripherals let players use cheats that game developers hadn’t programmed in, bestowing players with anything from limitless health to the ability to walk through walls or jump from level to level. Despite an increasing fear of hacking and many attempts from console manufacturers to thwart these devices, they were legal and sat on the shelves of major electronics stores. What’s more, they often outsold the games next to them.

At the top of this phenomenon was GameShark, a brand of cheat devices from InterAct Accessories. InterAct was making around $200m worth of yearly sales, and a mighty chunk was coming from the millions of GameShark devices going at $50 a pop. Such was its success that GameShark became more than just a cheat device. It was a magazine that once collaborated with IGN, and a website that boasted a million monthly users. Forget cheat devices, GameShark was the phenomenon itself.

Today, cheat devices are niche. You won’t see them on store shelves, and you definitely won’t find GameSharks. Now “gameshark.com” redirects to MadCatz, where the name is used on the site’s storefront to sell unrelated peripherals. Ten years ago, such a development was unthinkable. So how did GameShark rise to the top only to be all but dead today?

The unassuming black box, which was supposedly sent to developers back in February, contains parts similar to those you'll find in a "standard gaming PC." The the kit includes an Intel CPU, a NVIDIA graphics card, 8 GB of RAM and a 64-bit operating system.

Tommo Inc. has confirmed a December 6, 2012 worldwide release date and a $199.99 price tag for its NeoGeo X Gold handheld/console combo. The device, which was first revealed back in March, comes pre-loaded with 20 games from the '90s console, including favorites like Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown 2, and Metal Slug.

The NeoGeo X Gold is a handheld, though the $200 package also includes both a NeoGeo X Joystick and a NeoGeo X Station which, used together, essentially turn the device into a full-blown console that connects to your TV. Given the inclusion of those extra peripherals and 20 pre-loaded games, do you think $200 is a fair price?

TRITTON launches an all out assault on gaming peripherals with their new Warhead 7.1 headphones, the first and only headphones that sync up directly with the Xbox 360 for a true wireless experience.

Throw off the dongle shackles of old. Warhead 7.1 uses proprietary technology straight from Microsoft to connect directly into system. It’s something many have long dreamed about, but only now is it becoming a reality.

Out of the box, you get the headset, Base Station, power cord, and assorted wires to help you connect both old and slim models of the Xbox 360 into the base. If installation were any easier, you would already be wearing a pair on your head right now. You synch up the headset to the console in the same fashion as you would a new controller. A clearly marked button just above the earpiece allows you to easily connect to your console and even switch between players just incase you were kind enough to let someone else be Player 1 in Castle Crashers for a change.

Already, I can hear the collective eyebrow raises for when I mentioned the power supply which can be a hassle if you’ve already have your power strip filled with other devices. Unlike other headsets which would draw power straight from the Xbox, the Warhead actually has a clever reason for needing it’s own power supply, the rechargeable batteries.

I don't know about you, but I've been following the launch and touchdown NASA's Curiosity rover obsessively. Watching the ship land safely on Mars, on live TV last night was amazing. While landing on faraway worlds has been a video game staple since Lunar Lander came out in the 1970s, the real world is catching up to games. Curiosity's navigation system has been likened to a video game by Brian Cooper, the lead driver for MSL Curiosity, and it uses techniques that are familiar to any gamer.

Cooper designed the navigation system, that uses 3D technology to allow earthmen to "step into" the martial atmosphere and plot courses for the rover. The instructions are then sent to Mars, and combined with the rover's onboard hazard detection systems, Curiosity can move around and, hopefully, discover alien life forms (or at least interesting information about Mars.)

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset Kickstarter campaign has been fully funded. In just a few hours, Oculus, the company behind the project, managed to raise almost $500,000 ($450,165 as of this writing), practically doubling their goal of $250,000 in under 24 hours.

If you're wondering why what's so special about the virtual reality set, it's been specifically designed with video games in mind and has some of the most influential members of the gaming community supporting it. Developers like John Carmack, Cliff Bleszinski, and even Gabe Newell are standing behind Oculus, saying how much they believe in the product and how exciting it could be for gaming. Check out this video detailing the device.

If you have a spare million bucks or so sitting around, you might want to purchase a Kuratas from Suidobashi Heavy Industries. Kuratas is a mech, an actual, working, ride-in mech that's 13-feet high and weighs over 4 tons.

The mech is controlled through a touchscreen UI with Kinect-based movement interface, It can lock on to enemies through facial recognition, and its twin BB "gatling guns" can be activated through smiling. All I'd do was smile, and everyone would be pelted with endless rounds of BBs.

The $1.35 million price tag doesn't include further customization options like a faux leather interior, cup holder or phone cubby, but you'll probably want to pony up the extra dough for those. I mean, why wouldn't you?

As far as I can tell, this is a real thing that actually exists. Please watch the videos below and send me a million bucks:

“We have made a forced patch to correct the flaw in the browser plug-in for the Uplay PC application that was brought to our attention earlier today. We recommend that all Uplay users update their Uplay PC application without a Web browser open. This will allow the plug-in to update correctly”.

Hear that, PC gamers? Hit that update button on Uplay and make sure your situation is secure. Or, you could disable the Uplay add-on in your browser, too.

Microsoft's Surface has a release date. The tablet will launch on October 26th. Reports about the tablet's release date were originally seen in a document filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Microsoft has since confirmed the Surface's release date. October 26th is also the date Microsoft will launch the Windows 8 operating system.

More reports are coming in that Apple plans to announce the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini in mid-September. According to reports posted on iMore, Apple is planning to show off the iPhone 5 at an event on September 12, 2012, with the release to follow nine days later. According to the site, "This information comes from sources who have proven accurate in the past."

The iPad Mini will supposedly be announced at the same event, although there's less information about when that device will hit the market (if it exists at all).

If you add this rumor to last week's similar iPhone 5 rumor, figure in Apple's release schedule for past improvements of the iPhone, and it seems pretty likely that we'll all be drooling over a new iPhone in September. On the other hand, these are all unsupported Internet rumors and might turn out to be utterly false, so take it all with a huge grain of internet-rumor-salt.

Playing as a life-sized Nathan Drake as he scours the globe for ancient artifacts or standing tall as Marcus Fenix as he charges into battle against Locust are just two of the ways a projector can put your gaming experience into a better perspective. The Optoma 750, marketed squarely at gamers as the GameTime projector, is just one projector that accomplishes this 108-inch quality image feat, and it does it while adding 3D to the specs.

But what’s better than having a 3D DLP 720p projector in your living room? The $800 price tag. Yes, entry-level HD projectors - even 3D ones like the Optoma 750 - are now that affordable. It almost seems backwards to have a projector shoot out a giant image that’s nearly twice the size and more than half the price of 55-inch LEDs. It can project anywhere 32.2 inches to a whopping 322.4 inches - I found 108 inches to be a happy medium and a size that fit my wall. The caveats are that no consumer-level projector is as bright as an LED and you will need to turn the lights off in your designated gaming room. Beyond those two cons, all of the smaller issues I found were outweighed by the three big benefits of owning this 3D projector.

Screenshots

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Screenshots

Cheats and Walkthroughs

This week, PBS Arts’ weekly web series, "Idea Channel" takes a look at Minecraft and Makerbot in terms of our future. If you're not familiar with Idea Channel, it's basically a series that examines "serious" ideas in a light-hearted, slick way. This week, Idea Channel points at sandbox game Minecraftas a forerunner, or model, of a post-scarcity society, and asks the question: If life was like Minecraft's creative mode, what would the real world look like? If the future brings us printers that can print literally anything we'd like, what kind of world is that?

Check it out and get learnified.

It's a pretty interesting argument, but I had this reaction: If a post-scarcity economy is like Minecraft on creative mode, what happens when you don't prefer Minecraft's creative mode? I only play survival mode, because I find creative mode to be directionless and without purpose or meaning. I can't imagine the kind of ennui that could come from living in a real post-scarcity society. Depression forever!

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Previews

Review

Cheats and Walkthroughs

BioWare and MIMOBOT have teamed up to create the most adorable Mass Effect 3 flash drives. When the Reapers invade Earth, you better make sure to have all of your important documents stored on one these amazing Mass EffectMIMOBOT flash drives, I know I will (right MIMOBOT, right?).

The flash drives are now available for pre-order. They'll set you back $30 and can hold 16GB. Plus, they come with Mass Effect 3 DLC! They include the Reinforcement DLC Pack, which includes multiplayer and digital extras.

There will be three flash drives, but only two, Male Shepard and Liara, have been announced. I bet the third MIMOBOT drive will be Garrus. Who do you hope it is?

Doctor Who fans are definitely going to be clamoring for this Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control from The Wand Company later in August. In the video below, Chris Bernardo, the Director at The Wand Company gives us an in-depth look at the Screwdriver, which you can use to control any device in your home, including televisions, DVD/Blu-Ray players, and iPod docks. Check it out below.